Speed & Strength Rage With the Machine
Gloves Review

This is a webBikeWorld Owner Report by J.L.B. on the Speed and
Strength "Rage With the Machine" motorcycle gloves.

Speed & Strength seems to be
everywhere these days with a wide range of reasonably priced motorcycle
clothing and helmets.

The Rage with the Machine gloves are third from
the top in the men's range of Speed & Strength motorcycle gloves.

The
gloves are made primarily from goat leather (82%) and they include fabric panels
for stretch and breathability.

The gloves feature "Engineered Thermoplastic
Knuckle Protectors" and padded finger protectors on the thumb and first
three fingers and a pre-curved race-cut fit.

I consider these glove as a three-quarter-length type with
a partial gauntlet and padded protector that protects the outside of the
wrist.

They're available in sizes ranging from small to 2XL; the 2XL gloves are the
subject of this review. Note that the Rage With the Machine gloves are not water-resistant
or waterproof.

Details and Fit

I have a genetic anomaly in that my fingers are longer than the
standard "palm circumference size charts" would suggest.

More than that, my index fingers are about 3/8" longer than the
expected proportions compared to my other fingers. As a result, I wear
size 2XL motorcycle gloves and I can only find a few of those with
finger lengths that are long enough to fit me.

Imagine how I felt when I pulled on a pair of the Rage in the Machine
gloves to find that the fingers are just the right length!

In fact, I
own a pair of the Held Classic Steve
gloves (review) -- the long finger version -- and the Rage With the
Machine gloves actually have a little extra length in the index finger
compared to those.

All of this means that if you have "normal" finger lengths, you may
find these gloves a little long. But if you have long fingers like me,
you may be very happy to discover them.

The other thing that I noticed the first time that I pulled the
gloves on my hands is how soft, flexible, and comfortable they are.

The pre-curved cut fit works naturally with a relaxed hand position
and the soft and flexible leather requires no break-in at all.

In
addition, there are leather corrugations on the back of each finger
joint that make curling my hand around the handlebar grips easy and
natural.

The large knuckle protector is sewn across the front and sides, but
not on the back, which allows the material underneath to stretch over my
knuckles and move relative to the knuckle protector.

Also, the gloves have the Speed & Strength "Speed Dial Touch Screen
Technology". The tips of the first and second finger, along with the
thumb are treated to allow finger gestures on a touch screen device.

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Ventilation

Although not technically a vented or hot weather glove, I found the
Rage With the Machine gloves to be at their best in the range of 60 to
90 degrees F.

There are a couple of perforations in the palm side of the fingers
and breathable fabric on the knuckles (under the protector) and the back
part of the wrist/gauntlet.

It looks like the knuckle protector is
vented with stainless screens in the vents, but in fact the screens are
a fabric backing and there is a layer of synthetic leather on the
underside of the knuckle protectors.

Air is much more likely to get in
and out through the fabric below the knuckles and the knuckle protector
design is just for styling.

I am guessing that the goat leather itself is very breathable because
this glove is as comfortable as a fabric motocross glove, at least up to
90 degrees F, which is as warm as I've seen so far.

At lower temperatures, I found the gloves to be a bit breezy.

Also,
because of the large knuckle protector, the gloves don't fit into rain
over-gloves very well, so when it becomes cold or wet, I change gloves
to something warmer.

As I mentioned, this is a really soft and comfortable glove. The goat
leather makes up the majority of the palm side and the gloves are
unlined in the palms.

The goat leather is thin and responsive which
gives great feel of the controls. Overall, the feel reminds me of those
Held Steve Classic gloves.

There are sewn on patches across the top of the palm, the little
finger outboard edge and a padded patch at the heel of the palm that
appear to be synthetic suede.

At the tips of the first and second fingers is a small section of
black goat leather. These are there for styling, but I wish they had
continued the lighter color leather to the tip of the fingers for two
reasons.

First, the change in the leather type means that there is a
seam just above the first finger joint. It doesn't both me, but is an
unneeded discontinuity.

The second reason is that the black leather isn't 100% color-fast and
I end up with a couple of black spots on my fingers after a warm day's
ride.

The back of the palms are covered with a knit polyester material
that is soft and comfortable, however.

Speed & Strength lists the materials used in the Rage With the
Machine gloves as 82% goat leather, 8% synthetic leather, 8%
polyester and 2% polyamide for the outer shell.

From the premium
materials, a list price of $89.95 and its third position in the S&S
glove line, you would expect a premium product with high quality and overall, that is what you get with the Rage
With the Machine gloves.

Cutting and stitching is well done and double stitching is used in high
stress areas.

If I look closely, I can find a few areas where the
stitching isn't perfect, but overall it's a well-made and high quality
product.

Of course, it's a bit difficult to tell what will happen because I
have only about 1,000 miles or so of riding with them, but so far the
gloves are holding up with no signs of wear. With any luck at all, I'll
be wearing these for years.

Gauntlet and Closure

Some would say that every glove should have a full gauntlet for
safety, but I'm not as sure, because my jacket (Motoport) has a
tight-fitting sleeve with armor that is long enough to protect my wrist.

I find that on rainy or cold days I can end up with a lot of sleeve
layers coming together at the wrist and a full gauntlet adds one more
layer to an already tight zone.

So sometimes I find that a short style glove works well, especially
if it has a good wrist closure to keep the gloves on my hands in an
accident.

The Rage With the Machine gloves make an interesting in-between
choice that I a rather like.

While not a full gauntlet, the wrist is
longer than typical short gloves and it cuts diagonally across the wrist
to provide a padded impact protector on the outside of the wrist.

As a between choice on wrist protection, I wouldn't wear these gloves
on a race track, but I am pretty happy wearing them in the real world.

Also, the wrist closure is at the inside of the wrist and it has a
rubber strap with a hook-and-loop closure.

This is one area that I wish
they had improved a little more because the strap is on the short side
and the patch that it hooks to is also small. For security, I prefer a
longer engagement length for the hook and loop connection.

Protection

The key protective feature on these gloves is the
protector that stands tall above the main knuckles.

It is made of a rubbery
plastic that flexes easily, yet provides both padding and abrasion
resistance that should also provide good protection in the event of a crash.

The fingers, thumb, heel of the palm and the wrist all get an additional layer of
leather and a button of padding that feels like some kind of high-density foam.

This is typical of many other gloves on the market today,
so it should provide reasonable protection.

Conclusion

Overall, the mid-priced Speed & Strength "Rage With the Machine"
gloves have excellent comfort and feel, combined with a reasonable level
of protection.

They are comfortable motorcycle gloves for spring,
summer, and fall. And, at least in the 2XL size, they have long fingers
that will be helpful for some...but a problem for others.